CP shootout: Victim`s wife wants more compensation

New Delhi: The Centre was on Wednesday asked by the
Delhi High Court to respond to a plea for enhanced damages by
the wife of a businessman, shot dead by a Delhi Police team
in Connaught Place here 14 years ago in a case of mistaken
identity.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice A K Sikri and Justice
Rajiv Sahai Endlaw issued notice to the Union Home Ministry
and sought its response by February 23 on the plea by Pradeep
Goyal`s widow Neema, seeking enhancement of the Rs 15 lakh
compensation awarded to her in July this year by a single-
judge bench.

While issuing notices to the ministry, the high court also
allowed Goyal to withdraw the compensation amount, already
deposited by the ministry with the high court`s registry as
per the court`s July 4 order.

"In the meantime, the appellant is at liberty to withdraw
the amount of compensation deposited with the registry of the
Delhi High Court without prejudice to her rights," said the
bench.

A 10-member police team, led by erstwhile Assistant
Commissioner of Police S S Rathi, which had fired upon Goyal`s
car on March 31, 1997 near Statesman House, were sentenced to
life imprisonment in the sensational case.

Goyal was killed along with another businessman Jagjit
Singh, while third businessman Tarun Preet Singh, who too was
accompanying them in their car, was seriously injured. Police
had mistaken Singh as a wanted gangster Mohd Yaseen.

Neema and Jaspal Kaur, Singh`s wife, had earlier sought Rs
two crore each as compensation. But the high court had awarded
them Rs 15 lakh each as compensation.

A single judge bench of Justice S Muralidhar had awarded
the compensation to the family of each of the victims, saying
there must be "zero tolerance" for criminal acts by men in
uniform.
The court after considering the Supreme Court verdict
upholding life imprisonment to 10 policemen in the case had
also taken a strong exception to a provision of Delhi Police
(Punishment and Appeal) Rules allowing a cop to remain in
service even after his conviction as long as his appeal
remains pending.